HL7 EQP Equipment/log Service
HL7 field reference EQP fields from HL7 v2.5.1 Show fields
These are the generated fields for the version selected at the top of the page. The document stays the same, but the reference panel follows that version.
Fields
EQP records equipment or log service information from instrument and automation workflows.
The standard describes EQP this way: The equipment log/service segment is the data necessary to maintain an adequate audit trail of events that have occurred on a particular piece of equipment.
Equipment and specimen-control segments are used around instruments, analyzers, containers, device commands, device status, and test configuration. They are practical plumbing for lab and automation workflows.
The main trap is treating an equipment status as if it were a clinical result, or treating a specimen/container identifier as if it were interchangeable with a patient or order identifier. Keep the layers separate.
The v2.5.1 structures show EQP in LSU_U12 - Automated equipment log/service update. That tells you where it can appear, but the implementation guide still decides which optional fields are meaningful.
For practical interface work, read the generated field panel for datatype, required, repeatable, and table details, then use the notes below to decide what the field should mean in the receiving workflow.
EQP-1 qualifies the equipment or specimen workflow rather than identifying it. This is the sort of field receivers often use for branching, filtering, or display grouping.
Use the agreed value set, starting from HL7 table 0450. A local code without an agreed coding system is a small ambiguity that becomes a mapping problem later.
EQP-2 is part of the control identity for this equipment or specimen workflow. Make it stable enough for duplicate detection, retries, audit trails, and support conversations.
EQP-3 is a timing field. Send the real source-system precision, do not pad unknown dates or times, and agree how timezone offsets are handled when time of day matters.
For effective and end dates, make the boundary rule explicit. Receivers need to know whether the value is inclusive, exclusive, planned, actual, or merely informational.
EQP-4 is a timing field. Send the real source-system precision, do not pad unknown dates or times, and agree how timezone offsets are handled when time of day matters.
For effective and end dates, make the boundary rule explicit. Receivers need to know whether the value is inclusive, exclusive, planned, actual, or merely informational.
EQP-5 says what action is being taken for this segment or record: add, update, delete, cancel, clear, or another profile-defined operation. It needs to agree with the message trigger and the previous state.